PDGA coming to Beachfront course

Wild Rivers Disc Golf Club sets up C-tier tournament in less than a month

For the first time ever, the Professional Disc Golf Association has a stop in Crescent City with a brand new C-tier tournament called Bangin’ at the Beach set for Saturday, Aug. 23, at Beachfront Park Disc Golf Course.

The Wild Rivers Disc Golf Club has hosted several tournaments at Beachfront Park since the disc golf course was installed in 2003, including an informal weekly doubles tournament on Sunday at 9 a.m., but Bangin’ on the Beach will be Beachfront’s debut for the PDGA.

The C-tier tag basically means that the payout for the winners will be lower than some of the associations other tournaments. It also means that non-PDGA members are allowed to compete for an extra $10 fee.

Wild Rivers Disc Golf Club president Kevin Mealue, who is the organizer for the tournament, said that organizing a C-tier tournament is also a little bit simpler, which was important, because the tournament had to be pulled together quickly.

The disc golf club originally booked the park for Aug. 23 with the intention of holding a tournament in conjunction with the State of Jefferson Flip Out Week to help raise money for Gateway Education, Mealue said.

After that event fell through, the Wild Rivers Disc Golf Club was left with about a month before the big day and no real idea what to do with it.

Shortly after Mealue learned that the Flip Out Week Tournament was no longer happening, he found himself playing the Beachfront course with Kelly Muth of the Par Infinity Disc Golf Club in Humboldt.

Mealue said it was Muth’s idea to shift the tournament into a PDGA event. She even helped take charge of getting sanctioned, becoming the tournament director. Muth couldn’t be reached for comment this week because she is competing in the open women’s division of the PDGA World Championships in Portland, Ore., this week.

“She just got the fire lit under me,” Mealue said. “I started asking around and we got it going. I didn’t really know what to expect going into this, but I found that it is really about building partnerships and getting the good name of disc golf out there.”

While organizing the tournament, Mealue said he has received a lot of support from locals interested in making it happen. The main contributor so far has been the Crescent City Jaycees, Mealue said, along with multiple local buisnesses including Porcini’s and Home Depot.

“I have had nothing but overwhelming support from the community,” Mealue said. “I can’t wait to see how great this tournament can be, and how we can all work together to make Del Norte a recreation destination.”

How to participate

The tournament is open to disc golf enthusiasts and newcomers alike. There will be an open division, for anybody that wishes to participate, along with an advanced division and a novice division.

Cost to participate is $35 for the open, $30 for advanced and $25 for novice. The cost is $10 higher for each division without a PDGA membership.

Additional divisions will be added as needed depending on participation. Possible divisions include a women’s division, a masters division for players 40-49 and a grand masters division for 50-59 year-olds.

Although the course has 24 holes, the tournament will use 18 of them with participants throwing two rounds.

Registration is Saturday, Aug. 23, from 7:30-8 a.m. with a players meeting at 8:30 a.m. and tee time at 9 a.m.

For more information visit the Wild Rivers Disc Golf Club website at www.wildriversdiscgolf.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wildriversdiscgolfclub.